Before I get to the story, just a quick note about my favorite free writer’s market database, Duotrope: starting in the new year, they will no longer be free. They can’t afford to keep running on donations, so they’re going to begin charging for their services on January 1, 2013. It’s a bummer, I know, but the good news is that they haven’t started charging yet. If you haven’t checked out Duotrope before, you’ve still got more than a week to explore their site and see if it might be something worth paying for:

And now, on to Day 3:Write a setting based on the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen. (Yes, I know I skipped Day 2. I had my reasons – trust me.)

Conversionby Gretchen Bassier

The sky was rippling.

At first, Kate thought it was a trick of her eyes. She dumped the armload of firewood she was carrying and trotted back down the porch steps to get a better look.

It was no trick – the clear, midnight sky overhead was flickering. Pulsing and shivering with a strange whitish glow. Kate jogged up the steps and knocked on the front door until Annie’s curious face appeared in the crack.

Annie shoved her feet in a pair of battered Nikes, grabbed one of Kate’s old coats from the hook by the door, and stepped out onto the porch. Together, the two women crunched across frozen grass, stopping in the middle of the lawn to look straight up.

“What do you think it is?” Kate murmured, unable to tear her eyes from the shimmering lightshow.

“It’s the Northern Lights,” Annie answered calmly. “Aurora Borealis.”

Kate frowned. “We shouldn’t be able to see those from here…”

Annie shrugged, her face serene as she soaked in the sky. “It’s rare, but it happens.”

“But…shouldn’t they be in the North? Northern Lights and all?”

Annie laughed. “You’re too literal. This is definitely them – I’ve seen them before. Sometimes they fill the whole sky…”

“When have you seen the Northern Lights before?”

“On that Alaskan cruise I talked my Mom into, after Dad died. There were two nights when we could see the lights really clearly, all across the sky, and reflected in the water, too. It was stunning. Mom said it was God’s fireworks.”

“Yeah, and they also would’ve believed my iPad was an angry god, if they’d seen the technology back then. It’s only supernatural until you figure out the science behind it. Why settle for magic and superstition when you can understand how something actually works?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Annie said softly. “Sometimes a little magic can be nice.”

The two women lapsed into silence for a moment, watching milky light flow like a waterfall, up the sides of the sky.

Suddenly, Annie let out a laugh.

The sound carried like a song through the cold midnight air, and Kate smiled. “What is it?”

“Remember that time in Colorado, when Peter had us driving all through the hills, chasing that huge orange light in the sky?”

“The light that he was convinced had to be a UFO?” Kate asked dryly.

Annie nodded, giggling.

“The light that actually turned out to be the moon?”

Annie giggled even harder, holding her belly.

“Yes, I remember.” Kate smirked. “No offense to your brother, but he is exactly why people should never smoke pot while they’re watching The X-Files.”

A peaceful quiet settled over them again, like falling snow. All of the light seemed to flow to a single pinpoint of space, a million miles above their heads.

Finally, reluctantly, Kate ripped her gaze from the celestial dance. “Well, I’d better go get the rest of that wood…”

“I’ll get the wood,” Annie said quickly. “You should stay and watch.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “I thought you’d want to stay and watch.”

A smile touched Annie’s upturned face, like the sky was telling her secrets. “Oh, but I’ve already seen it. And besides, I can always look up, on my way out to the shed.”

“Just as long as you don’t trip,” Kate joked.

Annie looked over at her, eyes sparkling. “I won’t.” She took the handle of the empty wagon and starting pulling it across the crystallized lawn. “Enjoy your ‘astronomical phenomenon,’ Agent Scully.”

Kate grinned. “I will!”

As Annie’s crunching footsteps and the crackle of wagon tires grew distant, Kate watched in fascination as a hint of ghostly green seeped into the white glow all around. Kate smiled, thinking of Slimer in the movie Ghostbusters.

Who you gonna call?

The nostalgic expression froze on her face as the sky began to change again, streaks of bright, electric blue snaking above the horizon to the North, like something was tearing slashes in universe, letting whatever lay beyond shine through.

The blaze in the North intensified, not just blue now, but ruby and emerald and topaz and indigo. The sky was a rainbow of fire, burning up with its own beauty, tracing mystical patterns across a diamond-star canvas.

Kate stared out through eyelashes beaded with ice-drops. She clenched her hand, wishing Annie’s hand was squeezed tight inside of it. An eternity away and right in front of her, the sky-fire peaked. Kate gasped aloud. Blinding radiance of every color poured through the seams in the heavens, and she stretched her arm toward the sight, reaching for the impossible.

It faded just before she could touch it, but not before the words escaped her, in a whisper of winter smoke:

I really did do this first exercise – honest! – but I also managed to badger my friend, Chris, into doing it with me. And since his list came out a thousand times better than mine, I thought I’d share his titles on here for everyone to enjoy:

Last year, I came across a list of wonderful writing exercises on the Writer’s Digest site. I was in kind of a creative slump at the time, and these really helped me pick up my pen and start generating some new stories. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of those stories with you. If you happen to be a writer and are in the mood for a challenge, you might want to give these exercises a try…and feel free to share whatever you come up with!

The 12-Day Plan of Simple Writing Exercises

Day 1:
Write 10 potential book titles of books you’d like to write.

Day 2:
Create a character with personality traits of someone you love, but the physical characteristics of someone you don’t care for.

Day 3:
Write a setting based on the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen.

Day 4:
Write a letter to an agent telling her how wonderful you are.

Day 5:
Write a 20-line poem about a memorable moment in your life.

Day 6:
Select a book on your shelf and pick two chapters at random. Take the first line of one chapter and the last line of the other chapter and write a short story (no more than 1000 words) using those as bookends to your story.

Day 7:
Write a letter to yourself telling you what you need to improve in the coming 6 months.

Day 8:
Rewrite a fairy tale from the bad guy’s point of view.

Day 9:
Turn on your TV. Write down the first line that you hear and write a story based on it.

Day 10:
Go sit in a public place and eavesdrop on a conversation. Turn what you hear into a short love story (no matter how much you have to twist what they say).

Day 11:
Write the acknowledgments page that will be placed in your first (next?) published book, thanking all the people who have helped you along the way.

Day 12:
Gather everything you’ve written over the previous 11 days. Pick your favorite. Edit it, polish it and either try to get it published or post it on the Web to share with the world. Be proud of yourself and your work.

Overall: A nice, light episode. Cho has a storyline, Rigsby got baked, there were some cute moments with Jane and Lisbon, and the case was fairly interesting. We even got something that I asked for last time (yay!), so overall, I can’t complain.

Cho: Now that he’s finally got a storyline of his own, it seems to be taking off. Hey, better late than never! I enjoyed seeing him in his new role as a member of the Rapid Response Team, but what I liked even more was his reunion with Summer! Last year, I was running hot and cold on his volatile relationship with this woman – sometimes I could really appreciate what Summer did for him, how she brought a little chaos and fun into his quiet, orderly life. Other times, I felt annoyed by her babyishness and her blatant disrespect for his job. In this episode, though, I was all smiles when they were onscreen together – I’m glad Cho decided to help her, and I’m glad she was telling the truth about being innocent. The goodbye scene between them was very touching – have we ever seen Cho smile like that before? I think part of my TV screen melted…

It was a little bittersweet – I felt like Cho was letting Summer go in the best possible way. He was genuinely happy for her, and that is the greatest form of love. I do wonder whether we’ll see her again, and what kind of trouble she’ll be in if we do. She doesn’t strike me as someone who could stay calm and danger-free for very long, but like Cho, I found myself wishing her the best. I also found myself wondering whether Cho will ever have feelings like that for his new love interest, Tamsin. Her jealousy over Summer in this episode was obvious and a little bit unprofessional. I did like how everyone – even Ardilles – knew that Cho’s main goal was to help Summer. I also love that Rigsby had more of a reaction to Cho’s new job in this ep. That’s what I wanted to see from him before – some possessiveness, maybe a little jealousy. His dig about the new team was funny, too: “If you’re supposed to be a rapid response team, then why are you sitting around for thirty minutes?” LOL. Looks like both Rigsby and Tamsin want to keep Cho to themselves. And really, who wouldn’t?

Rigsby: Man, I couldn’t believe he actually sampled the product! That was great. Horrible, but great. I was yelling at him not to do it, but I guess he thought he had to do it to keep from blowing his cover. Still, in terms of looking suspicious, his reaction to the marijuana was probably just as bad as if he’d refused to smoke it. It was hilariously obvious that he had little-to-no tolerance for pot. Owain is an awesome comedic actor, and he had me in stitches when he pointed his “gun” at the suspects. Also loved his case of the munchies – like Rigsby really needed something to make him eat more.

Jane: Good continuity with Jane and his little book. No, Lisbon he’s not obsessing – he’s just “following a lead.” And of course it’s the boss lady, once again, who gets him out of his attic and interacting on the current case. I was LOLing when Jane snatched up that puzzle box and wouldn’t relinquish it. He was clutching it like the One Ring. He even called it his puzzle. My preciousssssss.

Naturally, Jane on a pot farm provided a lot of humor, as did his breaking into the tobacco lab: “Is it hands in the air, or down on the ground?” Also, who knew that pot seeds could have such weird names? Turbo Wolf???? As always, Jane’s brilliant scheme worked, making up a fake drug dealer to lure in the thief. Having the double-switch of the pot seeds was a neat twist. For some reason, I also really loved the scene between Jane and Lisbon and the dying professor. It was strangely touching. The professor spoke of the victim, Jeremy, with such fondness. His intelligence and kindness and love of puzzles. Maybe their relationship was a little bit Jane/Lisbonish?

Actually, the only thing more I would have wanted from the case part of the story was a stronger motive for Jeremy to switch the seeds. Like maybe he thought they would be a big breakthrough in helping his professor with her pain management. Something a little less selfish than just wanting them because he created the product. I wanted him to be a better person than he turned out to be.

Lisbon: Dang, woman! Little Miss Fierce with a hammer in her desk. It was actually brilliant and very in character for her to have a hammer handy and use it to smash open the box. Jane had been frustrating her for pretty much the whole episode with that box. And yet, I have to admit – even though it was funny – part of my heart broke when Lisbon wrecked that beautiful little container. Good craftsmanship is so rare these days, and the person who’d made the box was dead, so it was probably one of a kind. It hurt to see something so special get smashed like that. True, Jane shouldn’t have put her keys in it, but I don’t think he – or anyone else – predicted that her reaction would be so violent! I guess she can still surprise him, even after all these years.

Van Pelt: The show gets a pass for under-using Van Pelt due to Amanda’s circumstances, but I’d sure love to see a big storyline coming up for the Serious Crimes Unit’s youngest agent, just as soon as she’s ready to tackle it.

Final thoughts: Lots of laughs. A little bit of pain. A nice, solid episode. Keep up the good work, Show!

Overall: Holy $#!$%^. That was intense. I was very nervous watching the whole thing. I never knew what was going to happen…and lots of bad stuff did. It was a powerful episode in many ways, but not an enjoyable one.

Dean: I second his opinion of Martin’s return to hunting: How was that a good idea in any way, shape or form? The dude was a total basket case, but more on that when I get to his section. For Dean’s part, he continued to give Benny the benefit of the doubt – so far, Benny has not betrayed his trust. We haven’t seen anything but glimpses of their time in Purgatory, so it’s hard to know everything these two went through together, but it must have been some serious crap for Dean to take Benny’s word that there was another vamp in town. And yet, it was true – Benny was innocent. His only crime, it seems, was not slaying the other vamp at first meeting.

Dean’s only crime, in this episode, was using Amelia to lure Sam away from the hunt. It was a low, sneaky blow. The only reason I can forgive it is that Sam and Martin left Dean bloody, knocked out cold and chained to a radiator. If someone was about to kill my friend, I’d probably resort to sneaky, less-than-honest means, too. And, as horrible of a thing as it was to do to Sam, I did hear a touch of brotherly affection in Dean’s voice when he asked Sam, “Did you see her?” I think in some slightly twisted way, Dean thought it would be good for Sam to see Amelia again. Almost like doing him a favor.

As far as the end of the ep, I assumed Dean allowed Benny to leave after Benny killed Martin, but I’m not sure. Sam asked, “Is it done?” Dean said, “Yes.” If “it” meant killing Benny, then why would Dean be trying to justify Benny’s behavior to Sam? Wouldn’t Dean just say, “Benny ended up killing Martin, so I took him out.” And Sam would say, “I know that must have hurt like hell, but you did the right thing.” Thus, I assume Benny is still alive and Dean is still protecting him, hence Sam’s furious reaction. But we never did see exactly what happened, did we?

Sam: I’m sorry, but it does feel like a personal grudge, sending a hunter specifically to keep tabs on Benny. Sam is jealous of Dean and Benny’s relationship, and looking for an excuse to take Benny out. Sam wanted Benny to screw up. Otherwise, why not send a hunter to track down that werewolf girl they let go? She could just as easily have a “slip-up,” too. But whatever Sam’s true motives for keeping tabs on Benny, at least both boys seemed to handle it rationally at first. Dean was a little upset, but agreed to go investigate. Sam, in return, gave Dean a few hours to get Benny’s side of the story. So far, so good. Only one problem in the equation: Martin.

The choice to put a tail on Benny was questionable, but to put Martin of all people on Benny was a recipe for epic disaster…My thoughts on this matter perfectly mirrored Dean’s: Sammy, what were you thinking? However, Sam had talked to Martin since Martin’s release. Maybe Sam had good reasons to believe that Martin was okay and up to the task of hunting. I can get on board with that. But as soon as Martin knocked Dean senseless, that should have been a clue that all was not well in Funky Town (aka, Martin’s brain). Understandably, Sam decided to take the lead at that point. Unfortunately, we’ll never know whether Sam would have fully investigated and found the other vamp, or simply killed Benny and left it at that. Because “Amelia” texted and Sam dropped everything – including Martin (?????) – to run to her side.

That is the one thing I thought Sam really wouldn’t do: just leave Martin out in the woods by himself with one, possibly two, bloodthirsty vampires on the loose. Just left him in the lurch, no explanation, no car, no backup. That, I felt, was writer manipulation to get the characters separated, in order for the final events of the episode to occur. Realistically speaking, Sam would have shouted to Martin, “Hey, my friend’s in trouble – get in the car, quick!” Sam would not leave this fragile, just-released-from-a-mental ward guy alone in vampire territory (it looked like Benny had left the area, but that doesn’t mean he actually had).

So, leaving Dean chained up “for his own good”? Sam might do this, especially considering Dean’s done it to Sam before. Going after Benny despite Dean’s assurances that Benny deserved to live? Yeah, Sam might do this, too – in his eyes, it’s the situation with Amy, just reversed. But leaving Martin alone out there? No way. That just isn’t Sam, and I can’t blame him for something he would never do.

Martin: Hmmmm. It’s hard to know what to say, here. I loved him in “Sam, Interrupted” – this gentle, shaky man who had been on one hunt too many. I could only imagine what horrors had landed him in an institution. He was sweet with Sam and Dean, and I hoped we would see him again. Only, when he came back to the show in this episode, he was like a different person. He seemed crazier than he was in the mental hospital. He bashed Dean in the head, and talked about taking the boys “out back” and physically punishing them, like when they were kids. Yikes. And then, at the end – pushing the situation with Benny to that point…It was hard to watch. So unnecessary. So very much like “Metamorphosis.” My heart broke a little, just like it did back then. I don’t blame Benny. He did what he had to do. I just wish he’d never been put in that position in the first place.

Benny: In this episode, they showed him fighting against his instincts: he was hungry at the sight of Dean’s blood, and Lizzie’s, but pushed down the impulse to feed both times. I believe he would have continued to do this, had Martin not forced his hand. Taking an innocent girl hostage? Cutting her open? That is something not even Gordon would have done – not back when he was human, anyway. I forgive Benny for killing Martin, because I see it as self defense – not to mention defense of another person. I forgive Dean for letting Benny go (if that is, in fact, what happened). And I can completely understand Sam not forgiving either of them. Sad situation, all around.

Don/Amelia: I had just gotten aboard the “Amelia and Don aren’t real” train over at SFO, so it was kind of disappointing to have that derailed so fast. However, it was nice to finally meet Don. I liked him. He was straightforward. Sort of Dean-ish, in a way. Don wanted Amelia to make the decision for herself. Sam seemed to agree…but then he made the decision for her by choosing to leave. We still don’t know the whole story, though – because Sam didn’t leave that day. He left at night. Did something else happen in between there? Also should mention: it was cool to see Amelia in real time for once. Finally, her story – and Sam’s – is pushing forward into the future. Could not be happier about that. 🙂

Final Thoughts: A strong episode that really twisted the emotions. It reminded me of “Metamorphosis” a lot, but didn’t quite have the full power of that episode, because in that ep, the situation – Is it in this guy’s nature to go bad? – was so closely tied to Sam’s own demonic power storyline. Nonetheless, “Citizen Fang” was a heartbreaker, and definitely one worth watching. I came out of this episode with no real blame for any of the characters involved – except Martin – and hoping, as always, for reconciliation between my two favorite brothers.

Overall: A nice, light episode. Lots of laughs, which is usually the case when Cass tries to do anything requiring normal human interaction. We also got to see some closure on Sam’s storyline, plus some forward momentum on Cass’ new arc. All three leading men got plenty of screen time (making for a well-balanced episode), plus the case felt fresh and original, so all in all I was a happy fan.

Sam: So, we finally have the answer to why he and Amelia broke up. Her husband, Don, who had reportedly been killed in action in Afghanistan, was apparently not as dead as everyone thought. How awkward. Now I look back on the scene of Sam leaving in the night and feel pity for Sam. What a way for things to end. Then again, the door’s not completely slammed and locked when it comes to Sam and Amelia’s relationship – she could always choose to leave her husband. He could leave her. Don enlisted without even telling his wife beforehand, so you can’t tell me there weren’t marital problems.

Anyway, I’m just glad Dean – and his earthly arrival – weren’t the reason for the split. When Sam was talking about how the thing you’re running from will one day catch up with you and destroy your life, I was horrified. I was like, “No! Don’t say that! You weren’t running from Dean!” But I guess Don was the thing that “caught up” with Sam and Amelia and took away the life they had together. Not exactly a nice way of looking at it – usually someone not being dead is a good thing. But Sam’s the one who got left out in the cold, so it was (understandably) a negative thing for him.

I felt bad for Sam, having to deal with Amelia’s dad. The guy was uncomfortably rude to Sam for most of their interactions. I guess the dude was supposed to be a “protective dad” type, but I don’t know. The way I see it, you can be that way without being openly insulting to someone you’ve just met. I did like when the guy finally made an effort with Sam. And seeing Sam laugh like that was a beautiful thing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him laugh like that before. So in the end, Amelia’s dad turned out to be okay (he even has good taste in cars.) 🙂

The one thing I’d like from Sam’s storyline now is some tie-in to the mythology. As it stands, it’s almost too domestic, too normal, to even belong on the show. There hasn’t been a hint of anything supernaturalish in any of those scenes, aside from Don’s mysterious reappearance. So, I’m hoping that there will be something soon that brings Sam’s story into the present and into the realm of the paranormal. Amelia could call and say her husband is back but he doesn’t seem quite right. He is starting to scare her and she’s decided to leave him – can Sam come pick her up? And then we dive into a new story that (ideally) relates to the season-long arc of locking up the demons forever!

Cass: This guy sucks…

…In all the most wonderful ways.

Those fabulous, deadpan deliveries are back! Dean: Let’s go hunt some wabbits. Cass: I don’t think you pronounced that correctly… ROFL. In this ep, Cass did everything from sniffing out a urinary tract infection, to imitating Columbo, to finding divine meaning in a Roadrunner cartoon. As a Cass fan, you really can’t ask for more.

He also had some serious moments with Dean and Fred. It broke my heart to hear Cass say he might kill himself if he saw what he’d done to heaven. However, I’m assuming – based on his later conversation with Naomi – that he’s been ordered not to come back to heaven. But because he doesn’t remember his conversations with her (right???) he’s simply left with a strong urge not to go to heaven, and his brain interprets the feeling as not being able to face what he’s done. If he does remember the meetings with Naomi, then that’s an entirely different situation (and one I do not like at all). That means Cass lied to Dean and actually is voluntarily spying on the boys for Naomi, which I don’t think he would do. Cass as the bad guy doesn’t work. We already made that mistake back in season six, and I feel confident (?) the writers aren’t going to repeat it. So, it’s gotta be option A. Definitely.

I loved Castiel’s moment of peace, sitting there listening to the music with Fred (I love to see Cass happy). Lifting that anvil was pretty impressive, too. Also, note the awesome power Cass used to actually transport himself (and Sam) into someone’s mind. I did wonder what happened to Fred’s power, though – how did Cass remove it? He shifted Sam’s madness into his own mind, and I kind of wondered if he took Fred’s power out the same way. Would that mean that Cass now has major TK powers? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Dean: Wow, he was actually pretty sweet and sensitive to Cass in this one. I liked this, especially since it is not always the case. In season six, I felt like Dean was particularly callous when it came to listening to Cass’ problems and what he was going through with the angel war. Made Dean seem kind of prick-ish, which sucked because I am a Dean fan. In this episode, though, Dean sat down with Cass and tried to talk to him. It’s nice to see Dean being a good friend.

Also nice to see Dean enjoying himself – that black hole scene was fun. In fact, all of the cartoon stuff was a blast (sometimes literally). I never thought I’d see the impression of Dean’s face smashed into a frying pan, Han Solo-in-carbonite style. I bet they could auction that prop off for a lot of money. I would bid on it!

Dean got some great lines in this one, too: “What’s up, doc?” and “Best wife ever!” and let’s not forget “You were being bad everything.” Have to back him up on not letting Cass ride in the front right off the bat – you gotta earn that spot. And by the end, Cass did.

Final thoughts: I had fun. I laughed – a lot – and that’s always a good thing. Many kudos to the special effects team for knowing their limits – everything looked great, and I loved the “cartoony” feeling of it all. Having Cass present seems to take the focus off any supposed tension between the brothers, which is nice because that storyline sucks like a Hoover isn’t very good. I’m actually sad that Cass didn’t go with Sam and Dean at the end of the episode. I do wonder what Cass is going to do now, though, since he doesn’t seem to want to hunt with Sam and Dean anymore. Naomi asked Cass what he wanted to do, and he was listening to sirens in the distance, so I thought maybe healing people? It’s what he did when he had amnesia, so maybe it’s like his calling. Whatever he and Sam and Dean are doing, I’ll always show up to watch – especially if the episodes are as much fun as this one was. So until next time, in the words of Dean Winchester,